The National Planning Commission of Namibia, alongside the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), Northern Regional Electricity Distributor (NORED), and the German development bank KfW, have signed a grant agreement for €7.5 million. This funding aims to increase electricity access for households and small to medium enterprises under Namibia’s Access-to-Energy Project.
The grant will support both peri-urban on-grid and rural off-grid electrification, focusing on northeast and northwest regions of Namibia. The project plans to install nearly 4,000 connections, providing energy access to an estimated 18,000 to 20,000 people, including productive users.
Preparation for the project involved technical, environmental, economic, and developmental assessments, along with extensive stakeholder engagement to identify optimal locations. NORED will oversee project implementation, engaging service providers for the rollout.
The project’s success will be measured by various indicators, including the installation of at least 2,910 new on-grid connections, 990 new off-grid connections, and 400 kW off-grid power capacities for solar PV plus storage mini-grids. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.